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Zaccheus – A Spiritual Giant

by Chris Simmons

As Jesus journeyed through the town of Jericho on his way towards Jerusalem, he encountered a man named Zaccheus who was identified as a “chief tax collector” or “chief publican” (ASV, KJV). During the days of Jesus Christ, the tax collectors were employed by Publicans (who were normally wealthy men who contracted with the Roman government to be responsible for the taxes of a given district) to do the actual collecting of monies where they lived. Publicans would make private agreements with the government to pay a fixed sum of money up front for the right to collect the taxes in a given district. The Publicans would then, in turn, set out towards ensuring they made a profitable return on their investment by collecting more than the government required and pocketing the excess. This was known as “tax farming” that began during the Greek empire and was later adopted by the Romans. The unscrupulous nature of Publicans and tax collectors was addressed by John the Baptist when he identified their need to repent by collecting no more than what they had been ordered to (Luke 3:12-13). Because of this arrangement, the Jews considered Publicans and tax collectors politically to be the equivalent of traitors who had sold out to Rome and spiritually to be classified as sinners on the same scale as a harlot.

In spite of this public sentiment, it’s noteworthy that Jesus repeatedly sought the opportunity to teach the Publicans and tax gatherers and turn them from their sins. The Jewish leaders and the religious establishment wanted to know “why is your Teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11). The label they gave to Jesus of “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19) was an obvious attempt by the Jewish leaders to discredit and dishonor our Lord and Savior. Why did Jesus eat with and associate with such people? Jesus saw the tax collectors for what they were – sinners who needed to learn of God’s righteousness and repent. Jesus saw in many of them a heart of humility and a willingness to hear what He had to say. We read in Luke 18:9-14 of the parable contrasting a Pharisee and a tax gatherer which recognizes the true humility and consciousness of their sins that was displayed to Jesus during his ministry. Zaccheus was someone that Jesus also sought to teach. What is it that we can learn from Zaccheus?

We learn that there’s more to life than material wealth and earthly possessions. Perhaps he sought Jesus simply because of the multitude (“the crowd”) that was thronging to Jesus. Perhaps Zaccheus sought to see Jesus for himself because he had heard of Jesus from other tax collectors who had been at the reception that Matthew invited them to after Jesus had called him to be one of His chosen twelve (Luke 5:27-29). Or, perhaps, he had previously had the chance to come near and listen to Jesus teach (Luke 15:1). If material wealth provided all the meaning and purpose of life that man needs, there would have been no need for Zaccheus to seek for Jesus other than to satisfy his curiosity. Zaccheus’ humble and penitent reaction to Jesus indicates he sought Jesus for more than just curiosity sake. Zaccheus had a need that his riches and wealth couldn’t satisfy. Zaccheus wasn’t devoted to his wealth and was willing to part with it in order to be right with God (Luke 19:8) which is something the rich man in Luke 18:18-23 was unwilling and unable to do. Zaccheus understood what it meant to lay up “treasures in heaven” rather than “treasures upon earth” (Matthew 5:19-21).

We also learn not to make excuses. First, Zaccheus didn’t make excuses for the challenges he faced in seeing Jesus. There was not only the large crowd that prevented Zaccheus from coming to the Lord, there was the problem, as Luke records, of being “small in stature” which was preventing him from seeing over the crowd. Rather than giving up, Zaccheus’ drive to see Jesus led him to run ahead of the crowd and climb up into a sycamore tree just so that he might be able to see Him as he passed by. Do we want to see Jesus? Then we can’t make excuses either and like Zaccheus we are responsible for doing everything we possibly can to come to Him. Jesus teaches in Luke 14:15-24 that excuses make the Lord angry and they will ultimately condemn our souls. Secondly, we also need to note that Zaccheus never tried to make any excuses for the sins he committed. In contrast to Aaron (Genesis 32:21-24) and King Saul (I Samuel 13:11-12) Zaccheus never tried to explain away any of his transgressions. Only honest and humble confession of sin (like King David in Psalms 51:1-4) is ever pleasing before God.

We learn the need to go directly to the divine source of authority and never to allow men to be our guide or our standard. Zaccheus didn’t ask others to tell him what they saw or what they heard Him say. He sought the Lord for himself. Seek only what God, His Son, and the Spirit has revealed to us as we are taught in Hebrews 1:1-2 and Matthew 17:1-5. We are all personally responsible for seeking after and coming to know Him ourselves (Acts 17:27; Philippians 3:10) – and not through someone else.

We learn of the need to overcome all the obstacles that are between us and God. Rest assured, Satan will put brick walls in our way to discourage us and see how badly we want to serve God and to see how important heaven is to us. To each of the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3, Jesus repeated the same exhortation “To him who overcomes” and John heard the voice from the throne of God say in Revelation 21:7, “he who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” Zaccheus overcame every obstacle that was in his way and he did so with a sense of urgency. He didn’t stroll, meander, or even walk to the sycamore tree – he ran in order to get the vantage point that he needed. If he had delayed or hesitated, he would have missed the opportunity. Today is the day (Hebrews 4:6-7) and now is the time to overcome every impediment and every obstacle that we have between us and the Lord.

We learn through Zaccheus of what true repentance demands. It involves a change of heart and a change in the way he lived his life. Zaccheus understood that he could no longer live for himself but for Jesus and for others. He would no longer keep his wealth for his own gain but use it in service to others. And he understood that repentance demanded that he make right what was amiss in his life – that he make restitution to anyone he had defrauded in the collection of taxes. This is the type of repentance Paul speaks of in II Corinthians 7:10-11, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.” Zaccheus teaches us by example about repentance that leads to salvation.

Finally, we must learn to be a man of action. Not only did he act upon the opportunity to seek for Jesus, but when the opportunity was given to him to “receive Him” into his house and learn directly from the Lord, he did not hesitate and he jumped at the opportunity – so to speak. He obeyed without delay. When Jesus told him to “hurry and come down,” Zaccheus did just that – “he hurried and came down and received him gladly.” Will we act upon what we read in scriptures? Will we be a “doer” rather than just a “hearer” (James 1:22)? As we read through Hebrews chapter eleven about the great examples of faith, we must be overwhelmed by the fact that men of faith were men (and women) of obedient action.

Though small in stature, Zaccheus displayed many attributes of a spiritual giant. There is much more that could be said about Zaccheus, but let us understand that like Zaccheus, our soul’s salvation (Luke 19:9) depends on our ability to learn these lessons.

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